About

UPDATE 5. Oct 2015:

Well, it looks like we are not going to reach our "Kickstarter Goal" :( we haven't spent enough (read "none") effort into promoting the campaign ... but the good news is: We have successfully transfered the software to the new goggles hardware and "she is ticking over nicely" :)

We are VERY HAPPY about this ... so, we are going ahead with the project anyway :) and we are making 20 more prototype units, to be tested by whoever want's to be part of the project. You can contact us on info@eLSD.com.au to find out more (in regards to availability and other info)

We have received our Patent for the MIDI-Goggles recently and we will try another Kickstarter Launch and have another go at "Mass Producing" the eLSD Goggles (!) maybe with a bit more marketing effort ... Contact Horst to find out more :)

Our Vision is: To create a device to manipulate the state of your mind, to super charge the creative power of your mind ... the “electronic Light Scape Device". By using specific Light Scape Sequences, you can achieve your desired state of mind in a matter of minutes, with ease. You can also create your very own personal Light Scape Sequences, if you want to.

... and this is how it works:

Benefits for you:

Increase your creative potential - super charge the creative power of your mind - intensify your “awake” state - be in control of your creative energy - turn ON your creative mind when you need it ... and be the best you can be !

Be in total control of the Light Scape experience - take your electronic Light Scape Device anywhere - be part of the new wave of mind expanding electronic devices - make your own personal Sound and Light Scape - share your Sound and Light Scapes with others on www.eLSD.com.au ... and let others participate on your creation.

Enjoy the psychedelic color experience the eLSD is inducing - train your mind for a lucid dreaming experience - slow down your brain waves before going to bed for a better sleep - use the electronic Light Scape Device as a relaxation and meditation aid or use it as a potential learning aid for accelerated learning of languages and more.

How it works: It gently pulses light and color in front of your eyes. The pulsating light and the color influence you brain waves and the state of your mind. This pulsating light can make you more alert, more relaxed, more creative, sleepy, dreamy, awake and so forth, depending on the color of the light and the way it is pulsating (i.e. fast or slow, from slow to fast or any pattern that you can imagine, including rhythmical patterns or very slow changing colors).

This technology is called "Brainwave Entrainment" and it has been around for some time (for decades in fact !) It has been proven to work and it is also used in some medical procedures. As a side effect of the pulsing and changing light, you have this "Psychedelic Experience" where your mind starts to create colors and images all on its own :)

To find out more about the science of "Brainwave Entrainment" check out the following links:

The vivid colors of the display can be any color of the full light spectrum, from red, orange, green, yellow to blue, purple and so forth, including white. The left side of your brain (said to be logical and analytical) can be controlled independently from the right side of your brain (said to be artistic and creative).

Play a Light Scape File from your Phone

One of the Key Features of the electronic Light Scape Device is: the Light Scape Sequence is fully programmable using a freely available Light Scape Editor / Composer. Left and right color, light intensity, pulse-frequency, pulse-wave-shape and so on, can simply be "drawn" with the computer-mouse and then played directly from the Light Scape Editor / Composer (in sync with audio recordings) or it can be saved into a Light Scape File, to be played some time later, using a Smart Phone, a Tablet or some other device ...

Very cool :)

Using Tracktion 4 (free) to create a "Light Scape"

The goggles work like a USB output device and can be plugged into the USB port of your Computer, Laptop, Tablet or Smart Phone. The pulsating light can be easily controlled by what we call a “Light Scape Sequence". The Light Scape Sequence can be combined with a audio track to create a Sound and Light experience.

I guess, some of you have already figured it out: The USB output device is actually a "MIDI device" and can be controlled by sending MIDI commands to it via the USB interface :) The "Light Scape File" contains MIDI events (i.e. pitch-bend, note-ON and other MIDI-messages)

which means: Light Scape Files can be played from any MIDI-player that can sent the MIDI-events to the USB port :) This also means, there is already a whole lot of Software out there (Tracktion, Pro Tools, Cubase, Reaper, Ableton and many more) that allows you to create your own Light Scapes and combine them with any audio you like (!)

We aim to make software available for free, to play audio recordings in sync with the Light Scape File containing the saved Light Scape Sequence, to allow for a Audio Visual experience. This software could be in the form of an “app” running on your Tablet, Smart Phone etc. or it could be any Light Scape Editor / Composer of your choosing.

Do I need to be a expert to use the Goggles ? No … We will provide you with a wide collection of "Light Scapes" via our website eLSD.com.au and we envisage other (experts or not) to share their creations via our website. Naturally most of the Light Scape Sequences we provide on our website initially, will aim to stimulate your mind, to increase the creative power of your mind, to make you more "awake" and to switch your mind into a supercharged state. This is our promise.

We will also provide easy to follow video tutorials to walk you through the process of creating your own Light Scapes. We will provide you with templates, so you can get started immediately and get the most enjoyment out of the goggles in no time at all. Just take the template and start creating interesting pulsating Sound and Light Scapes.

It is well known that the human brain generates periodic electrical signals, also referred to as Brain Waves. There are 5 defined regions of dominant Brain Waves depending on the state of consciousness of a subject, ranging from about 0.5 Hz to in excess of 50 Hz:

It is also well known that stimulation of a subject with light of varying color and/or varying intensity can bring about a synchronising or entrainment of the brain waves with the stimulus.

Gamma waves (30 Hz to 50 Hz) are said to be important for learning, memory and information processing. It is thought that the 40 Hz gamma wave is important for perception and learning new material, extreme focus, energy and ecstasy.

Beta Waves (13 Hz to 30 Hz) are commonly observed while awake. They are involved in conscious thought and logical thinking, and tend to have a stimulating affect. Beta Waves are associated with high levels of arousal, critical thinking, writing, reading, mental activities and concentration.

Alpha Waves (8 Hz to 13 Hz) exist between the conscious thinking and the subconscious mind and promote feelings of deep relaxation and daydreaming, awareness of the body and integration of feelings.

Theta Waves (4 Hz to 8 Hz) are involved in daydreaming and trance, and may make a subject highly suggestible because they are in a deeply relaxed, semi-hypnotic state.

Delta Waves (0.5 Hz to 4 Hz) are associated with the deepest levels of relaxation and with restorative and healing deep sleep.

The patent application for this device is being processed at IP Australia and we expect the patent to be granted by the end of September 2015. The hardware has been fully developed and we have manufactured the first batch of circuit boards in china. The first goggles have been fully assembled with the new PCBs (see photos).

The embedded software is written in C and tested on our prototype circuit board. The software now needs to be transferred to the target processor on the new hardware boards. We expect this to happen quickly and smooth, since the software is largely written in hardware independent “C” and the target processor is powerful enough and similar enough to accommodate everything.

Our Prototype Setup

The software is fully operational and the performance of the device has been tested together with the prototype unit, using the final goggle hardware (LEDs, filters and goggles). We are very happy with the outcome of the tests and we are very positive about our future progress.

The PCBs "Made in China"

Our Production Timeline:

Product Timeline

The next step would be to produce some more Light Scapes and to demonstrate the various Light Scapes, maybe in combination with some audio files. This will be made available at our website eLSD.com.au . We will also make all Light Scape Files available for free, so you can check out for yourself how easy it is to create Sound and Light Scapes. Just download a free version of a Light Scape Editor / Composer of your choosing.

Further more, you can use the existing project files as a template, to create your own personal Light Scape Sequences and Audio mixes, without any further setup requirements. Just select the default output device and the world is your Oyster :)

Risks and challenges

As with everything in life, there is always a risk that things don’t pan out the way we expected them to eventuate. We have done a good amount of software testing and don’t expect any surprises here. The goggle interface is a USB interface and will be tested for compatibility with the most common types of operating systems like Windows, Linux and the Apple OSX, as well as iOS and Android.

The USB interface is a standard interface and we don’t expect any surprises here either, but it would be impossible to test our goggles an every conceivable device. So, there is always a “incompatibility risk” if you are using a device we have not been able to verify for correct interface operation. We will try to stick to the USB standard as much as we can and we have a high level of confidence that the goggles will work with all standard USB interfaces.

Connecting the goggles to a mobile Phone or a Tablet usually requires an OTG USB-interface on the Phone/Tablet and also requires an application to sent USB data from the Phone/Tablet to the goggles. Those applications will be available as “apps” where you can play Light Scape Files and Audio files together, but the release of those apps may be delayed, depending on the challenges we encounter during the execution of the project.

Further more, obtaining parts is always a potential cause for delays, especially if they become temporarily unavailable. We have endeavoured to stick to the most commonly available parts and have multiple sources available, where ever possible.

And then of course, there is the general risk of sickness, death, war or natural disaster and other “Acts of God” type of events. We just hope the world will not be “falling apart” within the next few month :)